Al Ahli sign Francisco Trincao from Sporting on a four-year contract

Al Ahli have signed Francisco Trincao from Sporting on a four-year contract. The Saudi club confirmed the transfer after completing talks with the Portuguese side. Trincao arrives as an experienced winger who can work on either side of the attack.

The 26-year-old joins after leading the Portuguese league for assists in the 2025/26 season. Al Ahli highlighted his final pass, close control and ability to move inside. The transfer adds a new league after spells in Portugal, Spain and England.

Al Ahli add a creator to the front line

Trincao has played on both wings and behind a striker. His recent Sporting appearances often began on the right. He attacks mainly with his left foot.

The position record explains his 57 career assists. He can create from wide areas or receive closer to goal. Al Ahli list him as an attacker.

Al Ahli described him as a technical and decisive attacker. The announcement lists him as a player for several forward positions.

Trincao said he was proud to join the club. He also said supporters had encouraged his decision. His first comments focused on competing for success.

The club announced a four-year contract and did not include a transfer fee in its statement. The confirmed details are the length of the deal, the player’s role and his arrival from Sporting. Trincao turns 27 in December, so the agreement covers four established years of his senior career.

His career already covers three European leagues

Trincao developed at Braga before moving to Barcelona in 2020. He later spent a season on loan at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sporting then brought him back to Portugal and made him an important part of their attack.

Those moves gave him senior appearances in Portugal, Spain and England. Sporting supplied his longest recent spell. It also produced his strongest assist season.

Al Ahli report that Trincao has made 327 official appearances in his career. He has scored 62 goals and provided 57 assists.

The 327 appearances were recorded across several seasons and competitions. Al Ahli published the totals with the transfer announcement.

Those figures produce 119 combined goals and assists. Trincao scored 62 and created 57. His goal total exceeds his assist total by five.

Braga supplied his senior breakthrough before Barcelona signed him in 2020. Wolverhampton later used him on loan. Sporting then restored a regular role in Portugal.

The move to Saudi Arabia becomes his fourth national league. Portugal, Spain and England supplied the earlier experience. Al Ahli become his fifth named senior club.

The latest season showed his creative value

Trincao finished the 2025/26 Portuguese league season with the most assists. Al Ahli highlighted that passing record in the transfer announcement.

The assist lead came during his final league season with Sporting. It is the clearest current measure of his creative output. The official announcement did not publish the exact league total.

His career record also contains 62 goals. That is five more than his assist total. Both figures show regular involvement in scoring moves.

Al Ahli did not publish a fixed position or squad number. The club confirmed only his attacking role and four-year contract.

The transfer adds another league to Trincao’s career. His first competitive appearance and debut opponent remain unconfirmed.

A separate Bundesliga move sends Noel Aseko from Bayern to Eintracht Frankfurt.

The assist title belongs to the completed 2025/26 league season. It does not include every cup appearance. Al Ahli presented it as his latest individual distinction.

Trincao arrives after four consecutive seasons with Sporting. His transfer ends that second spell in Portugal. The four-year agreement begins with Al Ahli immediately.

Neither club published a squad number with the announcement. Al Ahli also omitted salary details. The completed status rests on the club’s formal confirmation.

Trincao’s six listed senior honours span club and country

Trincao won consecutive Portuguese league titles with Sporting in 2023/24 and 2024/25. He also lifted the Portuguese Cup in 2024/25. Those were his two latest club league titles.

His earlier honours include the 2020/21 Spanish Cup with Barcelona and the 2019/20 Portuguese League Cup. He was also part of Portugal’s UEFA Nations League success in 2024/25.

Those honours span domestic leagues, cups and an international competition. They form the confirmed trophy record before his move to Saudi Arabia.

Trincao referred to future success in his first club comments. He did not promise a goal total or a specific trophy.

The Nations League honour came with Portugal during the 2024/25 season. His other listed trophies came with Sporting, Barcelona and Braga. The record covers four competitions.

Sporting supplied three of the five listed club trophies. Barcelona supplied the Spanish Cup. Braga supplied the Portuguese League Cup before his move abroad.

Al Ahli confirm four years without disclosing the fee

The contract covers four seasons. Neither club disclosed the transfer fee, salary or performance bonuses. Those figures remain unconfirmed.

Trincao turns 27 in December 2026. The four-year deal begins while he is 26. Its exact end date was not published.

No debut date appeared in the announcement. Al Ahli have not published Trincao’s first squad date. A later squad list will confirm his availability.

The completed transfer gives Al Ahli a player with 119 career goal contributions. Sporting lose the league’s latest assist leader. The four-year contract is already confirmed.

Al Ahli finished the previous league campaign with 81 points. The club also retained the Asian Champions League Elite title. Both results came before Trincao joined.

The squad began an Austrian training camp before the transfer announcement. Al Ahli won its first friendly 8-0 on July 12. Trincao’s availability for later friendlies remains unconfirmed.

The transfer was announced on July 18. It followed the start of that training camp. The team photograph from Austria therefore shows his new teammates before his arrival.

The four-year term is the only published contract detail. The confirmation gives no fee, salary or bonus. Trincao is now an Al Ahli player.